Lemon Rasberry Cheesecake

Summer is creeping up on us fast. If you’re in Chicago you know we’ve been hit with the brutal 90 degree weather. Believe me when I say brutal. One of the few bright sides of this scorching hot weather are the summery desserts! Oh the endless possibilities! Okay you can make cheesecake anytime of the year but there is something about lemon raspberry cheesecake that screams summer.

Ingredients:

For the base:

Butter, for greasing

2 tablespoons sugar

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

9 graham crackers crushed

1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese

2 eggs

1 lemon zested

2 tablespoons of lemons juice {from zested lemon}

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup fresh raspberries, washed & dried

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 320 degrees F.

2. Grease the bottom of a 9×9 inch baking pan with butter and place your parchment paper over the top, making sure your edges are flat.

3. Crush your graham crackers, you can use a food processor, I toss them in a bag and roll them with a rolling pin so they don’t become a powder.

4. In another bowl melt your butter and mix in with the graham cracker crumbs along with the cinnamon and sugar.

5. Place in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden. When done, set aside to cool.

6. For the filling, using a hand held mixer, mix together the cream cheese, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice and sugar until well combined. The filling should have a smooth consistency.

7. Pour the filling mixture directly on top of the cooled base and then cover the top with raspberries. The raspberries will slightly sink in as the cake bakes.

8. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until the center only slightly jiggles. Once done, removed from the oven and cool completely.

9. Once fully cooled, place in the refrigerator and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.10. Once the cheesecake has set, remove from pan using the parchment lining and slice into preferred amount of bars. I was able to get 20 squares.